Caroline Winder [wi.4.5.7]

Caroline Winder was the sixth child of Robert Winder & Letitia Boswell born January 31st, 1844 at Church St, Edmonton, & christened February 28th, 1844 at All saints, Edmonton, Middx.

Caroline’s father, Robert, tragically died when he was trampled by one of his own coach horses in 1849.
In 1851 she was living at Edmonton with her widowed mother & sister Mary Ann (20).

In 1861 Caroline was employed as a schoolmistress & living at Skeltons Cottages, Edmonton with her 59 year old mother who was a grocer.

Caroline married George Edmund Buchanan on December 28th, 1868 at the parish church, St Mary, Lambeth, Surrey. Witnesses at the wedding were Emily & Henry Search, George’s sister & brother-in-law. George was the son of George Buchanan & Amelia Elizabeth Ellis, born June 7th, 1838 at 17 High St, Newington, Surrey & christened July 4th, 1838 at St Mary, Newington.

In 1871 Caroline & George, a butcher, were living at 531 Kingsland Rd, Hackney St John. They had 3 shopmen living with them & a general servant. (Their surname in the Ancestry.co.uk census was interpreted as Buchane).

George died aged 41 on August 2nd 1880 in Camberwell House Lunatic Asylum, Camberwell, Surrey. The cause of death was general paralysis of the insane (syphilis). George was buried at Camberwell Old Cemetery in the Garrood family grave. [George’s sister Frances Buchanan’s second husband was Henry Garrood.]

Caroline’s son George Frederick, aged 5, was 'adopted' by her brother John Winder. Information on this from Annie Pentecost, the great granddaughter of Caroline is as follows:

“John educated George Frederick and it is said that he would have provided handsomely for him in his will as he was very fond of him. Unfortunately, George messed this up when he refused to read to him one evening because he was entertaining a friend instead. John apparently excluded George from his will as a result, and presumably George left the home "under a cloud". George joined the Coldstream Guards in 1897 & after spending time in South Africa, USA & Australia he returned to England & joined the Special Cavalry Reserve, King Edward’s Horse in 1915. He died in France on March 13th, 1918 when a train he was travelling in was hit by a mail train at Modane in France. George was buried at Saint Germain au Mont d’Or Communal Cemetery, Departement du Rhone, Rhone-Alps, France.

Caroline Winder (courtesy of Annie Pentecost)

Caroline was listed as a visitor in the 1881 census at the home of her sister-in-law Frances Buchanan who was married to Henry Garrood, a plaster modeler at Havil St, Camberwell & their daughter Elizabeth Garrood (15). With Caroline were her 2 daughters, Elizabeth (8) & Emily (2) & her occupation reads ‘kept by her family’. Also in the household was Frances’s mother, now listed as Elizabeth (rather than Amelia) Buchanan born at Portsmouth, who was 75 years old & described as ‘living with son-in-law’. Elizabeth had been widowed since at least 1851 & was described in the 1871 census as a butcher. Amelia Elizabeth lived to the age of 86, dying in the March quarter of 1892 at Camberwell.

In 1891 Caroline was a housekeeper for brothers Basil & Thomas Willis. Basil was a wine merchant clerk. They were living at 18 Dancer Rd, Fulham & with Caroline was daughter Emily, a general servant. Daughter Elizabeth was with her aunt Letitia Livermore (nee Winder) at the time of the census at 14 Stratford Place, St Pancras. Elizabeth was working as a barmaid.

Daughter Elizabeth married John Roberts, a carpenter, on December 27th, 1892 at Islington. Sadly John died in 1897 & he & Elizabeth had a son John before his death. Elizabeth gave birth to 2 more children, Patrick & Marie after John’s death & the 1904 records of the Kingsland Rd, Shoreditch, Hackney workhouse show all 3 children as residents. A note beside them says ‘father dead, mother in prison’.

In 1895 Caroline was living at 36 Rochester Rd, Camden Town when she became guardian of her late nephew's (Charles Ormond Winder) children until their coming of age. Caroline also administered her nephew’s estate on his death

By 1901 Caroline was living at St Pauls Rd, St Pancras, Camden Town by herself & described as living on her own means. Daughter Emily was working as a barmaid at the Southampton Hotel, Surbiton, Surrey at the time of the census.

In 1911 Caroline was employed as a cook & was living with Alice Bone, a manageress, at 418 St John St, Holborn, London. It was noted that Caroline was a widow & had had 3 children, all of whom were alive. Also listed on the census were 2 of Alice’s relatives & 2 barmaids & 2 barmen.

Daughter Emily married Thomas William Hills on April 18th, 1915 at Islington. Thomas died in 1932 & the 1939 register shows Emily living on her own at 37 Barnsbury St, Islington.

Caroline died on February 22nd, 1925 at 77a Highgate Hill, Islington, London.

The children of Caroline Winder & George Edmund Buchanan were:

wi.4.5.7.1 Elizabeth Letitia Buchanan born May 24th, 1872 at Kingsland Rd, Hackney
wi.4.5.7.2 George Frederick Buchanan born May 15th, 1875 at Fleming Rd, Walworth St Peter; died March 13th, 1918 in France
wi.4.5.7.3 Emily Buchanan born May 13th, 1878 at Fleming Rd, Walworth St Peter; died February 8th, 1963 at Hackney